Deer Creek Dam & Reservoir
For fishing and boating enthusiasts alike, Deer Creek Reservoir offers a recreational outlet centrally located and beautifully situated in the Wasatch Mountain range. But its primary function is to supply drinking and irrigation water and to generate electricity through the power plant at the base of Deer Creek Dam.
Deer Creek Dam
What is it?
Deer Creek Dam is a zoned earth-fill structure located on the Provo River approximately 16 miles northeast of Provo, Utah. Deer Creek Reservoir, the impoundment created by the dam, is a major municipal and industrial water supply as well as an important irrigation supply for the Wasatch Front. Deer Creek Reservoir has a capacity of 152,564 acre-feet.
Why was it built?
The dam was constructed as part of the Provo River Project to store water diverted from the Provo, Weber and Duchesne Rivers under Project and Association water rights. The Bureau of Reclamation’s Deer Creek Power Plant is situated at the base of the dam and is operated and maintained by the Association.
When was it built?
The dam was constructed in 1938-1941 and consists of 2.81 million cubic yards of fill.
How big is it?
Deer Creek Dam is a zoned earth-fill structure 235 feet high with a crest length of 1,304 feet. The reservoir capacity is 152,564 ac-ft. and covers a surface area of approximately 2,700 acres at full capacity. The spillway is a concrete chute at the right abutment with a capacity of 12,000 cfs and the outlet works has a capacity of 1,500 cfs.
What is the Association’s responsibility?
Deer Creek Dam is owned by the United States Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation). The Association serves as dam tenders for Reclamation and monitors and maintains all aspects of the earth fill structure, the spillway gates and sluiceway, and the outlet works piping.
Deer Creek Power Plant
What is it?
The Deer Creek power plant is a Hydroelectric power generation facility. It is owned by the United States Bureau of Reclamation.
Why was it built?
The Power Plant was constructed to utilize available water releases from Deer Creek reservoir to generate electricity for both private and government-run power agencies. The power plant generates power for its own use while providing revenues through power sales to offset the Association’s operation, maintenance and Project repayment costs. Surplus power is managed and marketed by various local agencies that provide power to several cities along the Wasatch Front and other areas in the West.
When was it built?
The Deer Creek Power Plant was constructed at the base of Deer Creek Dam by USBR in 1958.
How big is it?
The Power Generation capacity consists of two 2,475 kW generators.
What is the Association’s responsibility?
The Association operates and performs minor maintenance on the turbine generators and the associated control equipment. The power plant is manned 24/7 by Association staff who regularly record data on performance, restart generators if necessary and control water discharge flows to the Provo River.